Vol. 38, No. 18

7-16-2008
By: Jeff McCallister

LiveStrong Summit brings national exposure to the fight against cancer

A survivor's fight: One summit delegate's harrowing tale

The Ohio State campus will be transformed July 25 into a boot camp of sorts — a training ground for 1,000 soldiers in the war on cancer.

Behind the star power of cancer survivor and seven-time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong, the second LiveStrong Summit promises not only to arm 1,000 delegates from around the country with training and resources to bring the battle into their communities but also to bring even greater recognition to the cancer program at Ohio State.

“One in two men and one in three women in our country will get cancer in their lifetime,” said Michael Caligiuri, the director of Ohio State’s Comprehensive Cancer Center and CEO of the James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute.

“Everyone in our community will be directly impacted at some point by this disease, the No.1 killer of people under 85 years old, and that’s a strong reason for everyone in the community to be interested in what’s going on that weekend.”

Besides Armstrong, whose foundation puts on the event, the highlight of the summit will be an appearance by Republican presidential candidate Sen. John McCain, who will share his cancer plan and answer questions from the audience at Mershon Auditorium on the opening night of the weekend — billed as a Presidential Town Hall. Armstrong will moderate the event.

Democratic candidate Barack Obama has been invited but at this juncture it is unlikely he will be able to attend.

“Ohio is one of the most important battlegrounds in this year’s election, and Ohio State has one of the country’s top cancer programs, so it made sense to do this event there,” said Katherine McLane, communications director for the Lance Armstrong Foundation.

 “We wanted to have our members and invited guests hear the candidates talk about their plans to combat this killer, how they will pitch in to help save the lives of the 1.4 million people who will face a cancer diagnosis.”

Other keynote speakers during general sessions this weekend will be former US Surgeon General Richard Carmona, cancer survivor and advocate Stefanie Spielman and Harold Freeman, president and founder of the Ralph Lauren Center for Cancer Care and Prevention in New York and senior advisor to the director of the National Cancer Institute.

Along with the general sessions, there will be track sessions on fundraising, advocacy and elections that will be held in Meiling Hall, Weigle Hall, Postle Hall and Stillman Hall. A dinner event will be held for delegates on Saturday night at the Columbus Zoo.

“The summit is a gathering of cancer survivors and friends and families of cancer survivors who are passionate about improving the quality of life for cancer patients and the quantity of cancer research,” Caligiuri said. “It’s a workshop, bottom line, so the delegates can go back into the communities and get engaged in any aspect of the cancer movement that results in preventions, detection or cure.”

“Our goal is to empower our membership, our delegates, to go to their communities to affect change,” McLane said. “Sen. McCain will talk about the national fight, and our sessions will talk about local and statewide issues. We’ll give them the tools they need to go back to their communities to fight this war at every level.”

Jen Carlson, the director of government relations for The James, will conduct a track session about how speak to government officials about cancer funding.

“My job will be to prepare each individual to go in and be able to serve as a resource for the people they’re talking to,” Carlson said.

“I want them to know exactly what to expect when they go to talk to a state legislator or even a local official,” she said. “Just getting the audience isn’t enough; they have to go in, be prepared and know all the facts so they can anticipate every question. This way, they can have an impact on the front end of the funding process and that’s important.”

The first LiveStrong Summit was two years ago at the University of Texas at Austin, Armstrong’s hometown. Armstrong visited the Medical Center in May for LiveStrong Day, a one-day rally that’s a smaller version of the summit.

Caligiuri, who has been involved with the Lance Armstrong Foundation since he met President Doug Ullman at a National Cancer Institute function four years ago, convinced Ullman and Armstrong that Ohio State was a natural spot for the summit this year and hopefully again in the future.

 “We’ve had a wonderfully positive experience in all our dealings with everyone at Ohio State, and we’d love to explore any opportunities that might present themselves to expand our relationship,” McLane said.

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